At the April 2008 meeting of the NYC LGBT Center Book Discussion Group, we discussed "Falconer" by John Cheever. This was a very popular book. We had a very nice sized group who universally liked or very much liked it. We talked about John Cheever's secret bisexuality, his addictions, his teaching in prison, and life in the early 70's for closeted men, when this book takes place. We thought his fellow prisoners were well drawn and that his family and wife were a mess. During the discussion, we considered the possibility that some of the more florid writing and perhaps even an event or two were drug-induced (or withdrawal induced) or merely imagined. If we had any complaint, it was that Cheever is a great short story writer and this novel, especially the last surprising chapter (I'm not going to give it away - just in case someone hasn't read it yet), might have been a little longer. The theme of the novel is redemption, which may be expected in a prison novel, but had some surprising ways of expressing it in "Falconer."

Farragut, the protagonist of Falconer, is one of John Cheever’s favorite class: the entitled upper class nitwit who deep down knows he is not entitled to the life circumstance has provided him. While ostensibly a College professor, the sharp eyed reader discovers his intellect is too feeble for a basic course in economics. He barely recalls his prior life, other than sharing needles with other entitled addicts within the Ivory Tower. In Falconer, as in many Cheever stories, the curtain is ripped from the local gentry to reveal the seedy underbelly. Drugs, affairs, suicides, murder. Yet the oddity of Falconer is that the crime that lands Farragut within the Falconer prison is almost a tonic rather than a punishment. As a member of the prison rank and file, our protagonist attains a clarity that was utterly lacking in his prior life. As the fuzzy wreckage of his family and circumstance melt away, a more primal calling replaces it. Thus the punishment for his crime is nearly an enlightenment,

I read Falconer when it was the literary bestseller of 1977. John Cheever was at the height of his short-lived fame. It got some fabulous reviews then and my opinion of it at the time may have been colored by the publicity. However. It wasn't a book that stayed with me over the decades. Re-reading it in 2014, it is not much of a story. The characters, mostly the prisoners and guards at the fictional Falconer prison, are strong but are not really likeable. The gay sex behind bars may have shocked some readers in 1977 but it's not going to seem like a big deal to readers in 2014. No wonder Cheever isn't used much in whatever college literary courses survive. The plot is weak to the point of being feeble. The two escapes at the heart of the book are too fantastic to be believed. This is essentially a period piece that doesn't hold up very well.

This is the odd and fully compelling story of an upper class privileged man who becomes a murderer and drug addict and is sent to prison. The novel is perfectly balanced between action within the prison and multiple flashbacks of the life of Farragut, a rebel college professor with a dysfunctional family of origin. Some might say it is a prison novel but Cheever weaves a masterful tale that takes us back into the past and then pulls us into the present behind the bars of Falconer prison. There may also be those who would say this is a gay novel for in prison Farragut has a romantic love affair with another married man. But this misses the point that Cheever is trying to make regarding the flexibility of the human condition, the ability to fall in love with those of the same gender or opposite gender, and the way conditions, situations, loneliness and isolation can impact human desire and need. The characters in Farragut's past are as colorful and entertaining as the odd crowd he meets behind bars giving us the impression that not all nuts are locked up behind bars. Prison is depicted here as a community of sorts with its own norms, values, and power structure. We don't get a contemporary vision of prison from this novel, which would include racial and ethnic warfare, man on man rape, and violence. Cheever is masterful in his narrative flow which allows us to gradually glimpse into the mind and memory of Farragut and understand his mother, father, older brother, wife, and son. These relationships, sometimes fulfilling and sometimes barren, have helped create the man. We gradually understand Farragut but Cheever never tries to make us like Farragut or take his side against the world. The book is so well written that I flew through it in 6 hours, enjoying the work of a modern literary master.

A slow dive into a prison sitcom. No. That’s not quite right. Let’s begin again. John Cheever. What else do I need to same. I guess at some level I am a bit of a fanboy. But I digress. Discussing Cheever is not easy to do. “The Swimmer” is the ultimate in Cheever, then enter “Falconer”. Cheever’s writing has always captured me and the writing in “Falconer” doesn’t fail. The text isn’t quite as rich as “The Swimmer” but it still holds its own as a piece of art. It’s a good read. It’s a challenging read. It’s a must read. There is a lot of subject matter in this story that is difficult to address. Most people would spend significant effort staying away from ever having to face it. Granted, prison is a place most of us will never see so we can never know what it is really like. “Falconer” forces the reader to experience these subjects with no thrills. Just matter of fact, everyday language. It isn’t exploded like some action packed summer blockbuster. It is just this fact that makes Cheever’s “Falconer” so engrossing. Things just happen. Like life, there is no fanfare, only the commonplace realities of daily life. It’ll keep you questioning, wanting for more, wanting the answers. But they can only be found inside you.